Corner-bracket for builders&#39; scaffolds.



J. H. BURKHOLDER.

CORNER BRACKET FOR BUILDERS SCAFFOLDS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16, I917. r v Patented Aug. 28, 191?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ammo a 7314" H .BURKHOLDER J. H. BURKHOLDER.. f

CORNER BRACKET FOR BUILDERS SCAFFOLDS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16. I917. 1,2383% Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JBHN H EURKWMDER TINTTFD dTATFd PATENT FFQ.

JOHN H. BURKHOLDER, F ASI-ILAND, OI-IIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELITE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF ASI-ILAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION.

CORNER-BRACKET FOR BUILDERS SGAFFOLDS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 2%, 191?.

Application filed February 16, 1917. Serial No. 149,005.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JOHN H. BURKHOLDER, citizen of the United States, residing at Ashland, in the county of Ashland and State 5 of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corner-Brackets for Builders scaffolds, of which the following is a specification. y

This invention pertains to a corner bracket for builders scaifolds, constructed and adapted to operate substantially as shown and described and particularly point ed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of thebracket in using position on the corner of a building shown in cross section and disclosing planks crossed at their ends on the bracket at the corner. Fig. 2 is a reduced view of Fig. 1, but show ing more of the building and at least one side bracket, and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4, Sheet 2, is an enlarged perspective view of the bracket supported on a corner as in Fig. l, and Fig. 5 is a front view of a portion of the bracket with the brace member broken ofi near its lower extremity and designed more especially to show the divided or bifurcated shoe of the brace.

Numerous scaffold supports of widely different constructions are known to have been patented and more or less practically developed and in use, but a support of the kind herein shown and described is broadly new so far as I know or believe.

It will be observed, first, that the present bracketis essentially a corner engaging device and adapted to receive the ends of planks projected from two sides at right angles to each other into meeting relations on the bracket. The prevailing types of scaffold supports above acknowledged are made to aflix or. engage with one side of a building, and which have the ends of the planks" projecting over and across the same more or less and sometimes to such extent that the weight of the carpenter on the exposed end will overbalance the plank and serious accident is liable to follow. My invention isdesigned to anticipate this common danger and to insure the safety of the workmen so far as a perfectly secure footing is concerned. Obviously, also, a corner 7 bracket of this kind will render it unnecessary to'employ as many side brackets as for merly and thus it contributes to both econ omy and safety in scaffold work.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the bracket consists,in its broader sense, of two horizontal parts or arms a, an inclined brace b and a linked connection 10 between said parts.

The said arms are of suitable length and strength and may be solid or tubular and of wood or metal, but metal preferably, and the brace 22 is pivotally and foldably engaged between the outer ends of said arms by a bolt 2. The said brace also has its up per end 3 projected somewhat above said arms to serve as an outer guard for the plank 4 ofthe scaffold, and a special bifurcated or split shoe 5 fixed upon the lower end of said brace is adapted to seat upon or across the corner or angle of the building with its toes upon opposite sides thereof and support said brace against lateral movement as seen in plan, Fig. 1.

The horizontally disposed supporting arms a are provided with suitable means for securing the ends thereof upon or to studding or other portions of the frame work of the building, and in this instance the said means areshown as of the nature of metallic clips 0 having keepers 6,within which the ends of the arms are confined by heavy rivets or bolts 7 through said keepers and clips and said arms, so that while a somewhat flexible connection of the said parts is made the arms are held firmly in position on the building and there is no danger of their being drawn out or broken away in use. The extremities of the clipsc have keyhole slots 9 for spikes or nails to fasten them on the building, and the said clips are placed transversely to the said arms and the direction of strain.

Now, it will be noticed that the shoe or extremity 5 of brace b is designed to spread its toes or points 8 across the corner of the building to the two sides thereof so that the said brace will be positively confined to its right working relation on the building and cannot escape therefrom in use, but it will also be observed that there are no local means on which said shoe engages or rests nor isit fastened to thebuilding in any way, but I do provide a stop or support in the nature of a suspensory medium con sisting in this instance of a link bar 10, cha ns 12 and a lock plate 1% connecting said parts. The chains are slidably engaged at one end on or over the arms a next to the building and with the lock plate 14 at their other ends and are in V-shaped relations in use. The said plate has a middle transverse slot, and the link barv 10 has teeth at intervals on its edge adapted to engage in said slot and to provide the necessary adjustment to adapt the device to the building and to give the brace its proper working angle or inclination, say of 45 degrees downward and inward in respect to the horizontal position of the arms.

will be noticed that the two arms a are clamped to opposite sides of the build ing and that the chains engage over said armsin such manner and in such relation to their inner ends that the greater the weight or strain downward 'on; brace 79 the greater the tendency of the chains to pull the arms (1 toward each other and thereby actually tighten .them against the sides of the building in an embracing position. It

will be especially noticed also that the, suspensory means for the extremity of the. brace bar are the exclusive means of vertical support or of preventing the foot of the brace from slipping down.

The device as thus shown is foldable, with the arms and the brace and link connectlons in compact relation for transportation or storage.

Of course I do not claim that the suspensory means comprising the. toothed link bar 10 and the chains 12 are the only means that may be employed in the connection shown. In fact they are. rather suggestive than exclusive, and any suflicient or satisfactory alternative. may be substituted therefor. Butit' is desirable that the connection be flexible and adjustable as to length and that it should have the V arrangement of the branches or chains, and that engagement be made with the lower extremity ofbar 7). Of course the said shoe 5 is practically a portion or brace. b, and whether it be in one or two pieces is immaterial, but in one piece is preferable, as

shown withthe toes or points 8 in V shaped relation as. shown.

Obviously several of the parts herein shown. and described may be substituted by practical equivalents, such, for example, as. the clips 0, in lieu of which I may use suit-' able bolts engaged directly through the. slots orextremities' of the arms a, or other means that will make a firm engagement with the binlCllIlg and sa d. arms, and any suitable link connection may be. substituted for the.

links 10 and 12, such as a chain suitably connected up at its ends with the parts a.

and 5. These are details in which I do not care, to be specifically. confined sincefthe essenceof the invention subordinates, such detailsinjthe. larger conceptionof a braced and suspensory medium which contemplates only two points of actual connection with the building, and these for the arms are on the same horizontal plane.

What I claim is:

1. A scaffold bracket for corner use comprising a pair of arms adapted to be firmly fixed at their rear ends to the sides of a building and a brace connected with the outer ends of said arms and provided with a free end adapted to, engage the corner of the building, and suspensory means connect ing said free'end of the brace with the said. arms respectively. a r I 2. A scaffold bracket as described, comprising a pair of arms operatively connected at their outer ends and adapted to; he clamped to the sides of a building at their inner ends to provide afirmsupport, anda. brace engaged between the connected ends of said arms and provided with a forked extremity at its inner. end adapted to engage the corner of a building, and a flexible. sus: pensory connection between the. saidinner end of said brace and and arms.

8. A bracket for builders scaffolds consist, ing of two arms and a bracepivoted between. the outer ends thereof, means to 'firmly secure the inner ends of said arms on different sides of a building to carry the weight. of the scaffold and means on the inner and lower end of said brace to engage the corner of a building, and a flexible connection. betweenthe inner and'lower end of said brace and the inner ends of said arms adapted; to. draw said arms toward; each other L'under' down pressure on said brace. t

t. A scaffold bracket having two supporting arms pivotally connected at their outer ends and means on the inner ends thereof to firmly support said arms against the. sides of a building, a brace. pivoted between the outer ends of said arms and havinga divided eXtremity pted o. e r ai s P- posite sides of a building at the. corner there.-. of, a link connection between said divided extremity and said arms and means insaid; connection to lengthen and shorten thesame. 5. A bracket for builders scaffolds com: prising two arms and means at the inner ends of said arms to removably support the same on different sides of a building at a corner thereof, a brace pivotally engaged between the outer ends of said arms and pro; jecting above the same and. having a split shoe at its. free lower end, and a linked con.-

nd; w d. s. en mies, and. uspe qrr .30

means between the inner end of said brace and the lnner ends of said arms, said suspensory means being branched to form a V substantially at its upper portion and having one branch connected With each arm, whereby a tendency is induced to pull said arms toward each other under a load on the scaffold.

7 A bracket for a builders scaifold having horizontally disposed arms and means to fix the same on the sides of a building, a

Copies ofi-thla patent may be brace pivoted between the outer ends of said arms and having a divided extremity adapted to seat on the corner of a building relatively below said arms, and suspensory means 15 for said brace engaged With both said arms near their inner ends and With the divided extremity of said base.

Signed at Ashland, in the county of Ashland and State of Ohio, December, 1916.

JOHN H. BURKHOLDER.

obtained for five cents each, by addressing the (lommissiomer of Patentm,

aahington, D. 0.

this 15th day of 20 

